The Winter
by danzjohns99
Summary: After a second accident a year after their first adventure in the Unknown, Wirt and Greg are sent spiraling back into this mysterious land. This story follows their adventure to get back. Will contain Infinite Eyerolls later on.
1. Chapter 1

Wirt sat in his trigonometry class, unable to pay attention to the teacher. Math was not his strongest subject. He stared out the window, looking at the yellow busses lining up to bring the students home. He was glad that he finally had his own car and didn't have to ride on the noisy and stinky busses any more. Riding on the bus was always loud, and people would always invade his personal space. Pulled back into reality for a split second, he saw a bluebird fly by, and his thoughts went immediately to Beatrice. Wirt smiled as he remembered the beautiful, spunky girl whom he and Greg had met last year. He missed Beatrice terribly.

_I am forever lost without ye,_

_My heart yearns to see you again._

_Your smile that warmed my heart,_

The poetry he had written in his head was interrupted by the silent vibrating of his phone. Wirt carefully pulled the phone out from his pocket, keeping it out of view beneath his desk. Glancing down, he saw the text was from his mom, reminding him to pick up Greg after school.

Wirt smiled. He liked having time with Greg. Since he was a senior in high school this year, Wirt had a little more time to spare, and was determined to spend more of that time with his younger brother. Last year, he had almost lost is brother completely. A shrill bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Wirt gathered up his books and papers and walked out of the school building, smiling to the people he knew as he passed by.

Wirt walked out to the student parking lot and got into his grey four-door Sedan. Starting the car, he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the icy roads. It had been snowing all day, and it was very cold out. He drove very cautiously, being careful not to take any turns too fast. Wirt was now wishing he had skipped Trig so he could have got to Greg's school sooner. After driving on the horrible roads for almost a half hour, he pulled into the elementary school's parking lot. Wirt smiled when he saw Greg playing in the snow with some of his friends. Greg looked up and saw Wirt's car, and his face lit up completely. He threw hasty goodbyes over his shoulder to his friends as he ran as fast as he could to the car.

"Wirt! I'm glad you came to pick me up today! Let's get home fast so I can feed Jason Funderberker on time," Greg said as he sat down in the seat next Wirt.

"Well, I'll do the best I can. The roads are really gross today. It might take a while," Wirt began to steer the car back onto the treacherous roads.

"That's ok, too. I can tell you about school! Today our class got a pet. It's a turtle. Ms. Grey won't name it for us, and we can't think of any good turtle names. Do you have any ideas, Wirt? You helped name Jason Funderberker, after all"

"Well, since this it's a class pet, you should all probably work together to come up with a name." Wirt replied, slowing down to avoid hitting the pickup truck that had just cut him off.

"Great idea, Wirt! Terrence Anderson has the turtle for this weekend. Oh! I forgot! This weekend, we have to write an essay about our hero. I could write about Mom, Dad, Jason Funderburker, Nelson Mandela, The Hulk, Superman—"

While Greg had been talking, the pickup truck in front of them slammed on its brakes to keep from running a red light. Wirt hit his brakes as fast as he could, but the ice made them slide without control. Greg was clutching the handle on the door like it was a life preserver, knowing something bad was about to happen. Wirt turned the steering wheel madly to the right and slid the car around the pickup. In doing so, he had slid into the wrong lane. Still sliding, Wirt turned his head to see a black minivan barreling towards them. Wirt's mouth opened in a silent scream, his eyes wide and terrified. He could hear Greg's scream and knew that, in that moment, they were equally panicked. At the exact moment the minivan hit, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews you guys! This is my first ever fanfic, so keep the reviews coming in. Let me know what you like, and what could be improved. :D**

Beatrice opened the door to let her dog, Morris, play outside. With the door open, she was blasted with a wall of freezing cold air. She knew she would get frostbitten if she went out with him, so she just stood in the cold and waited for Morris to come. Morris came running from the parlor, and ran out the door at top speed. Beatrice quickly shut the door behind him, keeping any more cold air from seeping into the warm, cozy house.

She then walked to the window to watch and make sure he wouldn't run away into the wood. Beatrice laughed to herself as she watched him eat snow and roll around in the powdery white substance. Then her attention began to wander. She looked to the trees, and the way the snow coated the spindly branches of the trees reminded her. They reminded her of some adventures she had last fall. After throwing a rock at a bluebird, her whole family was put under a curse to be bluebirds until their wings were snipped away. Beatrice had left home to get magical scissors to solve the problem, meeting many people on her adventure to save her family.

Two of the people whom she had met were Wirt and Greg. Wirt was a shy, awkward teenager. She remembered how he had told her that he played clarinet and recited poetry. For as normal as he wanted to be, he was awfully unique. Greg was a precocious little boy. He had always come up with little songs, and did silly little things, like eating leaves. She remembered how she had almost lost both of them permanently. Seeing Greg turn into an Edelwood tree had scared her into realizing the consequences of her actions. If she hadn't led them to Adelaide, who had the magical scissors, they would have stayed with her, thus avoiding the clutches of the Beast. Tears began to sting her eyes. She missed them a lot.

"Beatrice! Come to the kitchen, I need you to help set the table for dinner!" Beatrice heard her mother call.

"On my way!" Beatrice yelled back. She jumped up and walked quickly to the door to call Morris back in. Opening the door, she was hit with another blast of freezing cold air. Shaking it off, she scanned the yard for the friendly dog. A look of horror settled onto her face as she realized that he was gone. He must have wandered off while she was daydreaming!

"Beatrice! Come here _now_!" She heard her mother yell again. She would have to search for Morris later. How much trouble could a dog really get into, anyways? Beatrice closed the door and walked to the kitchen, discouraged.

"Did you bring Morris back in?" Her mother asked.

"Well, I went to let him back in, but he wasn't there. That's what took me so long. Should I go looking for him?" She asked her mother, who was now looking almost as concerned as her redheaded daughter.

"Don't go looking for him just yet. We'll eat, and if he's not back by the time we're done, then you can go searching for him with your father and Benjamin," Beatrice rolled her eyes. Even before the bluebird incident, her mother was reluctant to let her daughter go off by herself. Seeing her mother's stern glare which warned her not to argue, she nodded her head.

"It'll be alright, honey. Go set the table, dinner is ready," Her mother said, giving her a one-armed hug while handing her the silverware. Beatrice did as she was told. By the time she set the table, all her brothers and sisters were sitting at the table. Beatrice took her place and picked at her food, still worried about Morris. It wasn't like Morris to run off without a reason. She wished she had gone to look for him, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Wirt and Greg were walking through the snow-covered woods. It was extremely cold, and Wirt was wishing he had worn a hat and gloves that day. Greg was all zipped up in his snow pants, boots, coat, mittens, and hat. Greg was telling him all about his school project to write about a hero while they tramped through the deep snow.

"… I could write about so many things, Wirt! We can pick any person in the universe for this essay! Maybe I could write about Jason Funderberker and about how he is an awesome fro-"

"Greg?" Wirt interrupted, putting a hand over Greg's face, quieting the younger boy. "Where are we going?"

"Don't you remember, Wirt? We're walking home," Greg replied. Wirt had the horrible feeling of déjà vu. He couldn't put his finger on what was causing it, though.

"Have we been here before, Greg?" Wirt asked, clutching Greg's shoulder for support. He didn't know why, but he knew that this was bad. This was really, really bad. Greg gave a noncommittal shrug and started to walk again. Wirt followed, boots crunching in the deep snow that was all around.

"Look, Wirt! A pond!" Greg cried, and he started to run to the pond that was a couple of yards away.

"Wait, Greg! Don't go on the ice!" Wirt chased after Greg. "We don't know how thick it- GREG!" Because of the deep snow, Greg couldn't see where the snow ended and the pond began. He had run onto the ice without even realizing it, and one leg crashed through the thin ice. Luckily, he wasn't too far out on the ice. Wirt tested his weight with each footstep to make sure he wasn't on ice.

"Don't move a muscle, Greg," Wirt said, slowly gaining ground on his younger brother.

"It's really cold, Wirt. I can't even feel my toes!" Greg said, laughing a bit.

Wirt took another step, and he felt the ground crack beneath his foot. He retracted his foot, and thanked his lucky stars that he was close enough to grab Greg. Wirt reached out and grabbed the small child beneath the armpits and picked him up, taking care not to hurt his leg. Greg's teeth were chattering, and Wirt sat the trembling boy down on a fallen tree. Wirt began to wrack his brain, trying to think of a place to go to warm up. There was the tavern, the Woodsman's house, Quincy Endicott's mansion, but he had no clue where any of those were.

While Wirt was thinking, a dog came up behind them and started to bark and run around in the snow. Wirt whirled around with fear in his eyes. On instinct, he grabbed a large stick and held it like a baseball bat, ready to protect himself and his brother at a moment's notice.

"Stop, Wirt! I know this dog! He's the one that ate the turtle last time!" Greg yelled; face lighting up to see a friendly animal. After Greg said that, Wirt recognized the dog and put the stick down.

"C'mere, boy! Can you show us where to go for help? You're from around here, right?" Wirt said, beckoning to the dog. The dog walked around in a circle, tongue hanging out of his mouth happily.

"We have to follow him!" Greg said, still shivering. He started to get up off the log. Wirt snatched him off of his feet.

"I'm not letting you walk through this. We'll follow the dog if you promise not to sing in my ear or squirm around too much,"

"Ok, Wirt,"

The dog began to walk into the woods. Wirt took a deep breath, ignored his better judgment, and started to follow the dog. They started walking slowly through the beautiful woods. It had begun to snow again, more heavily than before.

"Ok, dog. I'm not sure you know where you're going," Wirt murmured to the dog. The wind was picking up, and Wirt could feel his ears being frostbitten. Little snowflakes cut into his face, and the cold wind seeped through his boring grey coat. The dog then broke into a run. Wirt followed as fast as he could considering that he was carrying Greg and trying to avoid tripping.

"Look, Wirt! There's smoke!" Sure enough, rising above the trees, there was smoke. Warmth! Wirt doubled their pace, and they came to a clearing with a house. Sure enough, smoke was coming from the chimney. The dog ran to the door, and Wirt followed. He put Greg down, and knocked on the door. A few beats later, a redheaded girl about Wirt's age opened the door. Her jaw dropped open.

"Wirt? Greg?"

"Beatrice?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Beatrice, I knew we'd find you! Wirt missed you a lot, and I did, too!" Greg said, rushing forward to hug the former bluebird. She was tall, the same height as Wirt, with curly red hair that had been piled into messy bun on the top of her head. She was pale with lots of freckles, and wore a sky blue dress that reached the floor. Wirt's breath caught in his throat, and he couldn't help but think she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

"Come in! You guys look like you're freezing," Beatrice said, opening the door a little wider to let them by. The dog, Morris, ran into the house and up a staircase that was to their left. To their right was a living room, with a small sofa and a large fireplace with a roaring fire. The living room was connected to a small kitchen. A woman with red hair and kind eyes was walking from the kitchen to where they were standing. Wirt looked back to Beatrice and saw that she was staring at him. As soon as their eyes met, both teens looked away and blushed. _How long had she been doing that? _Wirt wondered to himself. Beatrice shut the door, realizing she had forgotten to do so in surprise of seeing the boys again.

"Beatrice, would you care to introduce us?"Said the woman who had just been in the kitchen. She walked to where they were standing and took off her apron.

"Oh! Sorry. Mom, this is Wirt, and this is Greg. They were here during the whole bluebird thing. I think you met Wirt?" Beatrice replied, twisting her hands nervously.

"Well, I should have recognized you right away! You look very different without a red cone on your head," Beatrice's mother said to Wirt with a chuckle. "And that means that you must be Greg. My daughter has told me much about you. You can call me Mrs. Dowling. Take your coats off and come into the living room. I'm sure you two and Beatrice have much to catch up on. I'll heat up some hot cocoa," Mrs. Dowling smiled to the unexpected visitors and walked back to the kitchen.

Wirt took off his boring grey peacoat and had taken off one boot when he saw Greg struggling with taking off his mittens. He smiled and got to work helping his younger sibling. As soon as Greg was free of his layers of winter gear, he walked to Beatrice and looked at her closely.

"You look different from what Wirt and me thought you would look like," Greg said to Beatrice, reaching up to pull at one of her loose red curls.

"What do you mean?" Beatrice asked, eyeing Wirt, who was struggling with his other boot.

"Well, Wirt and I knew you'd be pretty, but you're way prettier than we imagined, right, Wirt?" Greg said without even realizing he was putting Wirt on the spot. The awkward teenager blushed even worse than before and nodded without looking up from his tangled bootlaces.

"Thanks, you guys. You're both really cute," Beatrice said, smiling to Greg.

"So… H-how have you been, Beatrice? It's been a while," Wirt said, giving up on untying his boot laces and simply kicking it off.

"I've been good. I mean, not much has happened. The adventures I've had with you two are pretty much all that has happened here, ever. Life is boring," Beatrice replied while sitting down on the sofa. Thinking about their previous adventures made Wirt remember the close call Greg had had with the pond just earlier.

"Greg, how's your leg? Can you feel this?" He poked the bottom of Greg's socked foot, and the boy laughed.

"What happened to his leg?" Beatrice asked.

"I was running to the pond and then my leg fell through the ice. But then Wirt was the hero and pulled me out," Greg said. Beatrice's eyes grew wide.

"Greg! You know better than to do that! You're lucky Wirt was there to help you. What if he hadn't been there? Say, what are you doing back here in the first place?" Beatrice asked, taking the conversation in another direction.

"It's kind of a long story… and we don't even really know," Wirt trailed off.

"So sit down and start telling," Beatrice said. Wirt sighed and sat on the edge of the couch. Greg plopped down next to him.

"I suppose we should start out with what we think happened last year, huh, Greg?"

"Yeah!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry about how slow the story is moving, you guys. Hopefully I'll get another chapter up tonight **

Wirt tried to think of the best place to start telling their story. He and Greg didn't seem to remember how they came here this time, so it would probably be best to start from last year.

"Well, you know we were here last year. I mean, when you were a bluebird and stuff and the whole thing with the Beast. Wait, is the Beast still around?"

"Wirt, just tell your story. Questions are saved until after," Beatrice replied, rolling her eyes at the clarinet-playing nerd. Right then, Mrs. Dowling walked into the living room with three mugs of steaming hot chocolate. She set them down on a coffee table and walked to the doorway of the kitchen. She stopped there to listen to the story.

"Ok, ok. No need to push me. Thanks, Mrs. Dowling. Well, after I gave you the scissors to transform you and your family back into humans, I walked to a wall. It was really weird. Almost like it had been there all along, but we hadn't seen it because it was hidden until the right moment. And then I had this really weird compulsion to climb over the wall. I don't know why, but I knew I had to get us over the wall. So I climbed to the top of the wall with Greg, and there was this huge lake of black water on the other side. It was colder than death. There weren't any bricks on the other side of the wall, so I had to jump. Greg was still passed out, and I think I lost hold of him. I remember I was falling for a really long time. Longer than was possible, actually." He paused for a sip of hot cocoa.

"When I opened my eyes, I was underwater, and Greg was there, too. And we couldn't breathe. We were dying. So I grabbed Greg and swam to the surface. When we got to the surface, I remember seeing people with flashlights and then I passed out. When we woke up again, we were in the hospital, and my mom was there and she was crying. Phil, Greg's dad, was also there. The doctors say it's a miracle we're still alive. We should have died; they think we were under the water for almost 20 minutes,"

"That's crazy!" Beatrice said.

"Let him finish, Beatrice," Mrs. Dowling chided.

"Wirt, I don't remember what we were doing before we were walking home in though the woods. Do you think something bad has happened again?" Greg asked, looking more curious than fearful. His face was quite a contrast to Beatrice's face, which was now lined with worry.

"I don't know Greg. I guess we'll find out when we go home" Wirt said, hoping he sounded more optimistic than he felt. Thinking logically, it made most sense to assume that they had been in another life- or- death accident. He only hoped that they would pull through and find the wall again. There was a long silence. Wirt looked out the window to see that the sun was beginning to set.

"So… what about the Beast? Was he extinguished?" Wirt asked, trying to break the long and awkward silence that hung over the room like a wet blanket.

"Well, I left at the same time that you two did, so I don't exactly know. But from what I heard, I think the Woodsman blew out the Beast's flame, and his daughter was returned to him. The Beast had her soul in the lantern as well," Beatrice replied.

"Oh. Well, that's good, right? You don't have to worry about lost souls or Edelwood trees," Wirt said.

"Yes, it is good. Changing the subject, as soon as you are done with your hot chocolate, I want you to go to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, and I know Beatrice's siblings will want to meet Wirt and Greg," Mrs. Dowling said.

"There's room in the attic with me, mom. Wirt and Greg can take the trundle bed and I'll take the old sofa. Also, that way, none of my brothers or sisters can bug us in the middle of the night," Beatrice said.

"All right, that sounds good to me. You know where the extra blankets are. I'm going out to the barn to help your father finish up some of the chores, and when we come back in, I expect it to be silent. Got it?"

"Yes, mom. Come on, to the attic!" Beatrice said.

"To the attic!" Greg cried.

"To the attic," Wirt said, following Beatrice and Greg up the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Beatrice, Wirt and Greg all walked up the stairs. As soon as they reached the floor, Beatrice stopped. She turned around to face the brothers and motioned for them to be quiet.

"My brothers' and sisters' bedrooms are on this floor. I think they're all asleep, but we have to be real quiet," Beatrice whispered. They walked until the end of the hallway. Beatrice took out a little stepping stool from under a nightstand in the hall. She stood up on it, and reaching up, she pulled down a ladder from a small square hole in the ceiling. She put away the stool and climbed up the ladder. Wirt and Greg followed.

"Welcome to my room. Sorry about the mess, people don't usually come up here," Beatrice said quietly. Beatrice struck a match and lit a nearby lantern so they could see. Her room was the finished part of the attic. It was dark, with only one small window to allow in light. There was a bed in the corner and a sofa in the opposite corner. Beatrice set down the lantern on a nightstand then knelt down in front of the bed. She flipped up the covers of the bed, revealing two small handles. Gripping the handles, she pulled out a smaller bed that had been tucked inside of the larger one.

"Wirt, can you pull the ladder back up? I don't want anyone else getting up here until morning," Beatrice said.

"Oh, sure," Wirt replied. He turned around and pulled the ladder back up into the room. Greg already had curled up in the little trundle bed. He was obviously very tired. Beatrice laid a blanket over him, and a few moments later, he was asleep. Wirt walked to the sofa and sat down with a heavy sigh.

"You ok?" Beatrice asked, sitting down beside him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… it's crazy to realize we're back here. After we went back home last time, I was sure it was a dream. Except Jason Funderberker the frog had the bell in his stomach. And both Greg and I remember everything that happened. I just wish I could remember more of what happened right before walking in the woods with Greg," Wirt replied.

"What do you mean, remember more? Earlier you said you didn't remember anything," Beatrice asked.

"I... I lied. I didn't want to scare Greg, but the only thing I remember is hearing him screaming my name. It's horrible. If this is my fault…" Wirt buried his face in his hands, unable to continue.

"Wirt, don't beat yourself up. It's probably an accident. Tomorrow morning, we can start searching for the wall you were talking about," Beatrice pulled him into a hug. Wirt was surprised that she would be so quick to comfort him, and began to blush. He was about to return the hug when she pulled away.

"So, Wirt. What happened after you went back? Back to your home, I mean," Beatrice asked.

"That was a while ago," Wirt chuckled. "Remember that mixtape I gave to Sarah? Well, she didn't have a tape player, so we listened to it at my house. And she liked it, so we dated for a while. But it really didn't work out. By the time we stopped dating, I realized that I liked this other girl," Wirt began to blush. "We're really better as friends. Now she's dating Jason Funderberker,"

"Wow, you don't mind that one of your friends is dating your ex?" Beatrice interrupted.

"Not really. They're a better couple than we were. Anyways, I passed the ACT with a good score, and so far, senior year has been great. I got accepted at a couple of colleges, but I haven't decided where to go yet. I'm still playing clarinet and writing poetry, though," Beatrice laughed at that.

"I missed you a lot after you went home, nerd," Beatrice said.

"I missed you too," Wit replied with a smile.

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Both teens were blushing like mad. "Now get some sleep. Like mom said, it's going to be a long day tomorrow. You take the bed, you and Greg need to be together," Wirt smiled and walked over to the bed and lay down. Greg was snoring, and Beatrice turned off the lantern.

"Goodnight, Beatrice,"

"Goodnight, Wirt,"

As hard as he tried, he couldn't sleep. His head was buzzing from Beatrice's kiss and remembering Greg's scream.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry about not updating in a few days. Life's been getting crazy, and that's a rock fact! This chapter got a little bit long, but I hope it's good! **

Beatrice woke up to the sound of her younger sisters arguing early in the morning. The sun was only beginning to peek over the horizon, and she sighed. Being the oldest, it was always Beatrice's job to stop the younger siblings from fighting. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then she stopped. _What am I doing on the sofa? _She wondered to herself as she realized where she was. She looked to her bed and saw a sleeping Greg and a tired looking Wirt. The events of the previous night flooded back into her mind, and she jumped up with a gasp. Wirt looked at her, startled.

"It wasn't a dream!" She whisper-yelled and Wirt laughed at her a little.

"Give me back my doll, you troll face!" Beatrice heard her sister Bethany yell from downstairs.

"I won't give it back to you until you give me back my hair ribbons!" Bella screamed in reply. Beatrice cringed as she heard a loud thud, telling her that the wrestling had begun.

"Wirt, wake Greg up and then go downstairs for some breakfast. I'll be down in a little while… I just have to take care of some things first," Beatrice said.

"Alright, Beatrice," Wirt said. Beatrice turned around and climbed down the ladder. She walked to the doorway of Bethany and Bella's room.

"ENOUGH!" Beatrice yelled at the top of her lungs. "Stop wrestling right this instant!" Both younger girls jumped apart and glared at each other. "Bethany, give Bella back her hair ribbons, and don't call people trolls. It's not nice. Bella, give Bethany back her doll,"

"Yes, Beatrice," The two girls said simultaneously. Beatrice turned to leave the room to see her younger twin brothers tiptoeing down the hall, towards the ladder to the attic.

"HEY! Did I say you could go up there? Go downstairs; dad probably needs you to feed the chickens or something," Beatrice said, putting herself between them and the ladder.

"But Beatrice, we want to see Wirt and Greg! They're heroes!" Baxter said.

"Yeah, Beatrice! They're our heroes!" Buster said.

"Wait until breakfast, you guys! They only got here last night, and are probably tired from walking all day yesterday," Beatrice said. Her brothers both walked down the hall to the stairs. "Wait a second- how do you know they're here?"

"We were awake, so we listened to you guys while you were drinking cocoa downstairs. But when you went up to the attic you got all whispery and we couldn't hear you," Baxter replied, thundering down the stairs. Beatrice shook her head, although she wasn't very surprised.

"Beatrice, put the ribbons in my hair now!" Bethany yelled out of the blue, pulling at Beatrice's dress.

"Me too, me too!" Bella cried, not wanting to miss out on the fun.

"Ugh, right now? Can't you make Bernadette do it? Beatrice complained. Bernadette was the second oldest, just two years younger than Beatrice.

"You're better at it, Bea. You'll have to do mine after you finish with hers," Bernadette said, poking her head into the hall.

"Fine," Beatrice groaned. She and Bernadette followed Bethany into her room. Bethany plopped herself down on the bed, and Beatrice sat behind her. She started braiding and twisting her sister's hair, and Bernadette sat down next to her. Beatrice had been surprised to find that messing with her sisters' hair was one of the things she had missed most while being a bluebird. In no time at all, she had finished with Bethany's hair. The girl ran out the door and thundered down the stairs. Bella then placed herself in front of Beatrice.

"So, what are they like? We only met Wirt, and that was back when we were bluebirds," Bernadette asked.

"Well, Greg is Bethany's age, and is awfully cute. He's always coming up with songs, and doing silly things like eating leaves. Or having candy in his pants. When I first met him, he was wearing an upside-down tea kettle on his head," They all laughed.

"What about Wirt?" Bella asked.

"Wirt is my age, as you know. He's a nice guy. Somewhat of a pushover. I mean, he's just… Wirt," Beatrice said.

"I think he's handsome. Don't you?" Bella blurted out. Beatrice turned bright red, and stammered a couple of times.

"Ooh, Beatrice likes Wirt!" Bernadette teased, her and Bella laughing at their sister's distress.

"Go terrorize mom. Help her with breakfast or something," Beatrice said. Her sisters walked out of the room, and she heard their feet pad down the stairs. She sighed, and looked at herself in the mirror on the wall. She waited until all signs of embarrassment had been erased from her face, and then went down to join her family.

She walked down the stairs, and looked at all the people in her house. Having 9 siblings made for a crowded house most of the time, and adding any more people in always added to the cacophony. The amount of people also made their house seem smaller than it was. She looked at all the people and started towards the kitchen, when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Beatrice called over the loud voices. She opened the door a little bit and was flabbergasted to see a familiar horse standing there.

"Fred! No way!" Beatrice cried, flinging the door open and wrapping her arms around the horse's neck.

"Oh, hi Beatrice. I didn't know you lived here,"


	8. Chapter 8

Happy new year, everyone! 2015 will be awesome!

"Beatrice, who's at the door?" Mrs. Dowling asked, walking to join her at the door.

"Mom, this is Fred, the talking tea horse I told you about. Won't you come in? It's pretty cold out here, and Wirt and Greg are visiting," Beatrice said.

"No thanks, I'm on official Tea Horse business," Fred tossed his head and then cleared his throat. "Ahem. All of the residents of this house and every house in the land are formally invited to the Endicott-Grey Mansions for a ball tonight at 7 in the evening. Formal attire is required, and all ages are welcome. We do hope that you and your family are able to attend. Ahem. Thank you," Fred said. "What did you think? Did it sound official?" Beatrice and her mom laughed a little.

"It sounded very official. When did you say it was?" Mrs. Dowling asked.

"7 O'clock tonight, ma'am. Well, I must be going. I have more people to announce this to. Do you think you can make it?" Fred said.

"Can we, mom? Please?" Beatrice begged.

"I think we can make it work," Mrs. Dowling said with a smile. "Have a safe trip, dear! Thank you for telling us!" Fred smiled and then walked away down the road.

"Mom, are we really going to the ball?" Beatrice asked, stunned that her mother had said yes.

"Well, I don't see why not, unless you don't want to come," Beatrice's mom teased. Beatrice rolled her eyes while Mrs. Dowling laughed. They both walked back into the house, eager to tell everyone else about the good news.

"Who was it?" Bethany asked right away silencing the whole room.

"It was Fred the Tea Horse, and he gave us a formal invitation to go to a ball tonight at the Endicott-Grey Mansions," Mrs. Dowling said. Greg's face lit up immediately, and Wirt's grew very concerned.

"Are we going?" Mr. Dowling asked.

"I can't think of a reason why not," Mrs. Dowling replied. Everyone began to cheer. "We are supposed to wear 'formal attire', so I think we can spend most of the day getting ready. I think we deserve it, after such a successful year with our crops," Then Beatrice remembered. All of her old dresses had gone down to her younger sisters, and she had no more nice dresses to wear. Wirt and Greg had nothing to wear, either. Then, an idea popped into her head.

"Mom, can Wirt and Greg and I go to Endicott's mansion before the ball? The boys have nothing to wear, and neither do I. I mean, I'm sure that Endicott would give the boys something to wear, and maybe Madame Grey would have something for me, too," Beatrice asked.

"Well. Again, I don't see why not. I suppose it would be good for you to have more time to catch up without the family being around to listen in. We'll meet you there. But I want you to go straight there. No detours, no adventures, no throwing rocks at animals, and I don't want y-" Mrs. Dowling began.

"Yes, mom," Beatrice interrupted. "I know, we'll be careful. Wirt! Greg! We're going!" Beatrice called to them. They both stood up and walked over to her.

"Where are we going?" Greg asked. He hadn't overheard the plan.

"We're going to Uncle Endicott's, Greg," Wirt replied. "Greg, start getting ready. Remember to put on your snowpants before your boots," Greg waddled off to start getting ready. "Beatrice, I think I left my poetry book upstairs. Can I go up there to get it?" Wirt asked.

"Sure, just don't dig through my stuff," She replied. Wirt bounded up the stairs two at a time, hoping not to hold up the group much. In no time, he was back downstairs, putting on his coat.

"Wirt, where's your hat?" Beatrice asked.

"I wasn't wearing one," He replied. She grabbed a knit hat from the closet by the door and shoved it on his head.

"Benjamin, Wirt is borrowing your hat!" Beatrice yelled back to her brother while pushing Greg and Wirt out the door in front of her. They began to walk.

"So, which way are we going?" Wirt asked.

"We're just going to follow this road for a while, I think," Beatrice replied.

"Wait, you don't know which way to go to get there?" Wirt asked, disbelief on his face.

"It'll work out, Wirt, don't worry so much," Beatrice said. They walked for quite a while in silence. Then, they heard a great crash from the woods.

"Wha-what was that?" Wirt asked.

"Uhm- I don't know," Beatrice replied.

"Where's Greg?" Wirt suddenly realized his younger brother was not in sight.

"Greg! Greeg!" They began to yell, frantic that he had been attacked by a wild animal. Wirt noticed that a black turtle was crawling by on a nearby log. A horrible thought dawned on him.

"You did say The Beast had been extinguished, right?" Wirt asked, hands shaking.

"I- I really thought so, but I don't know for sure" Beatrice replied.

"R-U-U-U-U-U-N!" They heard Greg's voice yell. Then, Greg crashed through the bushes, running full speed down the road. Wirt and Beatrice looked back to see a horrifying silhouette they had hoped to never see again. And this time, he had a lantern.

"Run. RUN!" Wirt yelled, pushing Beatrice in front of him.


	9. Chapter 9

Wirt and Greg's mother, Jeanne, was making dinner. She was making baked chicken and mashed potatoes. She had even remembered to buy some molasses for Greg! _Wirt and Greg should be home any minute now_, she thought to herself, putting the molasses on the table. She glanced at Phil, her husband, through to doorway leading to the living room. He was watching the news. On the screen was a horrible car accident that made her cringe.

"Phil, dinner's almost-" Jeanne was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "I'll get it," She said to Phil, who was starting to get up to get the phone.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hello, may I speak to Mrs. McLaughlin?" said the voice on the other end of the line.

"This is she. Who's calling?"

"Ma'am, your sons have been in an accident,"

"What? Oh my god, what happened? Are they ok? Can I talk to them?" She sat down on a nearby chair abruptly, as though her legs could not support her weight. Phil was still engrossed in the TV and didn't even notice the look of horror on his wife's face.

"They were in a really bad car accident. Both of them are on their way to the hospital now. Right now we don't know if they'll make it or not," The man said.

"Alright, we're on our way. Thank you for informing us," Jeanne said.

"No problem ma'am," The man said, and then hung up. Jeanne sat for a moment. It had only been about a year since Wirt and Greg were in a different accident. Tears began to leak out of her eyes. _Wait, what am I doing?_ She thought. She stood up too quickly, and all the blood rushed to her head. Fighting the dizziness, she stumbled to the living room.

"Are you ok?" Phil asked, seeing her in the doorway, swaying and crying. He stood up and began to walk over to her.

"That's Wirt's car…" Jeanne said, pointing to the TV.

"What do you mean 'that's Wirt's car'? Wirt and Greg are on their way home now,"

"They were in a car accident, I think it's the one on TV right now. We have to go to the hospital," Jeanne said, pulling on her jacket. Phil pulled on his boots and threw on his coat. They ran out to the car and began the treacherous journey to the hospital.


	10. Chapter 10

Beatrice and Wirt ran as fast as they could away from the Beast. Just a couple of yards in front of them, Greg tripped on a tree root and was sent sprawling. Wirt grabbed him up by the arm, and pulled him down the road. They ran until they were out of breath. Beatrice slowed and looked over her shoulder.

"Guys! I don't think he's chasing us, we can stop running," She said to Wirt, who was still pulling Greg. "WIRT! Stop!" She yelled, grabbing him before he could run any further. He let go of Greg, and Beatrice could see his hands shaking, though he was trying to hide it.

"Greg, are you ok?" Wirt asked him. Both Greg and Beatrice had already caught their breath and wee ready to keep moving.

"I'm fine, brother-o-mine. You saved me again, you really are the hero!" Greg said with a smile, hoping to lighten up the mood.

"T-thanks, Greg. Beatrice, I-I thought you said that The Beast was extinguished," Wirt said, sitting down in a snow bank to catch his breath and slow down his spinning mind. He couldn't breathe. _The Beast is back, and we're lost again_, he kept thinking.

"Well, I know my mom said to go straight to Endicott's, but I think it might be a better choice to pay the Woodsman a visit first," Beatrice said.

"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea, right Wirt?" Greg said, pulling Wirt up. Wirt nodded and tried to remember to take deep breaths.

"So how do we get there, Beatrice?" Wirt asked.

"It's actually right over there," She replied, pointing to a little cabin that Wirt hadn't noticed before in his panic. The trio made their way through the deep snow to the porch of the cabin. Beatrice walked right up and knocked on the door 3 times. They stood and waited. Beatrice raised her fist to knock again when a girl with big brown eyes and long brunette hair answered the door.

"Hello," The girl said.

"Hi. We need to talk to the Woodman, and last I heard he lived here," Beatrice said, cutting off Wirt, who was about to say exactly what she just said.

"Oh! Come in! Father is in the living room, you can leave your boots on," The girl showed them into the cabin, which was warm and welcoming. There were bookshelves that were all full of books, and stacks of books on the floor. In the corner of the room sat the Woodsman, who was sitting in an old wooden rocking chair.

"Boys! Beatrice! How wonderful it is to see you again!" The Woodsman said, looking up from the book he was reading. "Have a seat. Jane, dear, put some tea on," The Woodsman's

"We really can't stay long, sir. You see, we just have to ask you a few questions and we'll be on our way," Wirt said, beating Beatrice to the talking. She shot him a look which Wirt pretended not to see.

"What seems to be the trouble?" The Woodsman asked.

"Well, we were on our way to Endicott's mansion, when we heard something in the woods. We turned around and lo! There was the Beast with his lantern," Wirt explained.

"Damn!" The Woodsman cried. "I suppose there is some explaining to be done. Well, after you all left the clearing, I blew out the lantern,"

"But then why is the Beast back?" Greg interrupted. Wirt shushed him.

"Let him tell the story, Greg" Wirt chastised.

"Anyways, I went home, and my daughter was here. It was joyous. I kept the lantern to make sure it wouldn't fall into the hands of evil. A few days later, the lantern had reignited. I was about to blow it out again when I heard the Beasts' voice. He told me that if I blew it out again, he would take my daughter again. So I locked the lantern up in this safe," He gestured to what Wirt had thought was a coffee table. "What else was I supposed to do? It sat there until last week. You see, the lantern's flame grew stronger. It was almost as bright as it had been before. We could see the light through the safe. Just last night, our house was broken into, and the lantern was gone. The Beast must have done it," The Woodsman finished. They sat in silence for a good minute.

"What do we do? Me and Wirt are lost again," Greg said.

"We'll be extra careful not to get too close to him. Also, we've been here before. We know it's possible to get back home," Wirt replied.

"Well, now that we have answers, we should really be going. Thank you for answering our question," Beatrice said, walking back to the door.

"Yeah! Thank you, Mr. Woodsman," Greg said. He grabbed Wirt's hand and they followed Beatrice out of the cabin and onto a dirt road.

"So we're going to Endicott's? What if we see the Beast again?" Wirt asked.

"Yes, we are going to Endicott's. What else can we do?" Beatrice replied.

"Yay! We get to see Unkie Endicott!" Greg yelled to no one as they walked down the dirt road. None of them noticed the eerie glow of white light that was shining in the woods just behind them.


	11. Chapter 11

"So you're leading the way even though you don't know which way to go?" Greg asked. He and Wirt were still following Beatrice down the path.

"Yup. But things have a way of circling around here," Beatrice replied. She looked over to Wirt, who was sulking. "Wirt, stop being a baby. We'll get there soon enough, you don't need to worry," Wirt sighed.

"I'm hungry!" Greg said, plopping down into a snow bank and staring up at the snow-coated braches above them. "And I miss Jason Funderburker. I'll bet is Jason Funderberker were here, we would find Unkie Endicott,"

"Greg, we have to keep moving," Wirt said, pulling him up and out of the snow. "If we stop, the Beast might some for us again,"

"Look! Another path with wagon tracks! I'll bet you anything it leads straight to Endicott!" Beatrice said, running to follow the new road.

"But-we-Beatrice!" Wirt yelled as he and Greg ran to catch up with her.

"Ha! I told you it would lead to Endicott's mansion!" Beatrice cried, pausing to stick her tongue out at the boys. Then she broke right back into a run to the door. Greg started to speed up to catch up to her when Wirt caught his arm, forcing him to stop.

"What is it, Wirt?" Greg asked, looking at his older brother with adoration in his eyes.

"Just… well-um. If you ever see a wall and know you have to climb over it, you have to climb it. Even if Beatrice and I can't see it, you must climb over the wall. Clear?" Wirt said, his face full of worry.

"Whatever you say, Captain!" Greg replied happily. He broke away from Wirt and ran to join Beatrice, who was waiting for them at the door. Wirt shook his head in an attempt to clear away his worries, and then walked to the door.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Beatrice asked Greg.

"Yes, please!" Greg said. He knocked on the door 3 times, and they waited. A few moments later, a young maid opened the door. A confused look settled onto her face.

"The Ball is not until 7," She stated, and then started to shut the door.

"We're here to see Unkie Endicott!" Greg said, and pushed past the maid into the mansion. The maid gasped in surprise.

"Oh, of course! Family. I'll go fetch Master Endicott, you can wait here until he comes," She said, opening the door for Wirt and Beatrice. They walked into the sitting room. As soon as the maid left, Beatrice turned to Wirt.

"What did you say to Greg back there? He was actually serious for a moment,"

"I told him what he should do if he sees the wall," Wirt said, avoiding eye contact. Beatrice nodded, understanding what he was feeling. Then, the sound of shattering ceramic slashed at their ears. Wirt cringed and turned around. He saw Greg staring down at a shattered pot."Greg! You need to be more care-"

"My nephews!" Endicott said, walking into the room.

"Unkie Endicott!" Greg yelled, running into Endicott's open arms.

"What a perfect pleasure it is to see you again! How have you been, my boys?" Endicott asked when Greg let go of him.

"We've been great! Wirt and Beatrice and I saw the Beast again!" Greg said.

"I beg your pardon?" Endicott asked, his face turning paler than it had been before.

"The Beast; His lantern has been re-ignited. He's out there again," Wirt said, shuddering at the thought of the horrifying creature that lived in the woods.

"Oh, dear. Would it- I say, should we cancel the ball?" Endicott asked.

"What's this talk of canceling the ball?" Marguerite Grey said, walking into the room. "We can't! Everyone has already been invited,"

"I agree. Everything's been so boring lately. Everyone needs a pick-me-up," Beatrice said.

"A pick-me-up indeed, young lady! So, why are you here in the first place?" Endicott asked, sitting down in an armchair. Everyone else took his lead and found places to sit. Greg sat himself down on the floor, Wirt and Beatrice took the small couch, and Marguerite sat on the arm of Endicott's chair.

"Well, we don't actually know. We were walking through the woods and now, here we are," Wirt said, deciding against sharing his theory about being in another accident.

" How strange," Marguerite commented.

"While walking through the woods, a dog lead us to Beatrice's house. We were there this morning when they were invited to the ball," Wirt finished.

"Why, it will be wonderful to have you here for the ball!" Endicott said, clapping his hands with joy.

" Um, you see, none of us have anything to wear to the ball. Which is why we're here so early," Beatrice explained.

"We'll fix that right away. Boys, come with me. We'll find you proper breeches and such," Endicott said, standing up and leaving the room. Wirt and Greg jumped up and followed him out of the room. Wirt paused at the door, and looked back at Beatrice and Marguerite.

"You'll be ok?" Wirt asked.

"I'll be fine, now leave!" Beatrice said, shooing him out of the room. Marguerite smiled at Beatrice. "What?" Beatrice asked.

"We will find you a lovely dress to impress him, how does that sound?" Marguerite said. Beatrice blushed profusely.

"Well, a dress would be great, but not to impress him! Yuck!" Beatrice said.

"Come with me, dear. We'll find you something," Marguerite said, leading her out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Wirt and Greg followed Endicott down countless hallways until they reached what looked like a sewing room. The room was blue and white and was very clean.

"You two are lucky! The Tailor is here by chance! He'll get you set up with what you need. I need to go make sure that everything is running smoothly in the ballroom. Making sure it's pleasant-looking and such. After you are done with finding proper clothing, you can go down to the dining room for a snack. We've already had lunch, but there will also be food at the ball, of course. Oh, and yes! I must go feed my prize-winning peacocks!" Endicott said, wandering out of the room. Then, a short man with an awfully long face peered over a dress form that he was hiding behind.

"Hi there!" Greg said. "Do you remember Wirt and me? We're the Pilgrims!" As soon as Greg said that, Wirt recognized the man as the Tailor. The little man stepped out from behind the dress form and sighed.

"I suppose it is two suits you'll need now, and you'll want a cape? It's always the same. Life is just a grey blur. Take your coats off, please," The Tailor said. Wirt and Greg compliantly took of their coats. He began to measure up Greg, making notes in a small notebook.

"Do you want a green or blue necktie?" The Tailor asked Greg.

"Green!" Greg said in response. The Tailor was having a hard time getting all of his measurements because Greg began to dance around.

"Can I have a teapot? And Wirt needs a cone hat!" Greg said.

"Yes, yes, whatever you like," The Tailor said. He finished up with Greg's measurements and then made Wirt step up. "So you want a cape and a cone hat?" The Tailor asked.

"Actually, I was thinking abou-" Wit started.

"YES!" Greg yelled.

"Alright. And I'll give you a blue necktie. You can go now. I'll be done with making the suits in a couple of hours," The Tailor said, ushering them out into the hall and slammed the door behind them.

"Well, that was slightly rude," Wirt muttered. Greg started to bobble down the hall. "Greg, where are you going?" Wirt asked, following him down the hall.

"We're going to get food! I'm starving to death. Literally," Greg said. The maid who let them in was walking down the hall.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"We're trying to find the dining room…?" Wirt asked.

"Of course. It's at the end of the hall, last door on your right. There's a lot of food waiting for you and your friend," She responded.

"Thank you," Wirt said. He and Greg walked down to the dining room. Greg opened the door and what they saw was amazing. There were piles of food on the table. It smelled delicious.

"Hello, young sirs. This is food for the ball tonight. You may help yourselves to whatever you like," A butler said, bringing in another platter of food to add to the huge surplus of food.

"Wow!" Greg exclaimed, diving into the food without bothering to get a plate.

"Greg! Save room for the food at the ball!" Wirt chastised. "Where's Beatrice?"

"Miss Beatrice is still being fitted for her clothing tonight. She will be here any moment now," The Butler said. Then the door opened, and Beatrice walked in.

"Beatrice! Look at all of this food!" Greg yelled at her.

"I can see, Greg. Can we eat anything we want?" Beatrice asked. Greg nodded his mouth full of food.

"We're supposed to save some room. This is the food for the ball tonight," Wirt explained.

"The ball is in a couple of hours. After we finish the food, we should probably get dressed," Beatrice said, grabbing a plate and stacking it with food. Wirt grabbed a plate for himself, and then forced a plate into Greg's hands.

"So, if this is a ball, shouldn't we learn how to dance?" Greg asked once he had finished stuffing his face.

"You don't know how to dance?" Beatrice asked. Greg shook his head. "How about you, Wirt?" Wirt blushed and shook his head.

"Well, I can square dance. They made us learn how to do that in middle school. But I don't dance, so it's not going to be a problem," Wirt said.

"Not going to be a problem? You have to know how to dance. It's a ball," Beatrice said. She put her plate aside. "Now which one of you is going to learn first?" She said, standing up.

"Me! Pick me!" Greg said, jumping up and down.

"Alrighty, sir. Stand up. Now, if you want to dance with a lady, you bow," Greg bowed to her, and she curtsied. "And now we dance!" She picked him up and began to spin him around the room until a maid opened the door.

"Pardon my interruption, but it is time to get ready for the ball. A couple of guests have already arrived," She said. "Your suits are ready, and your dress is ready. Just go back to the rooms where you were before," The maid walked out of the room.

"C'mon, Greg. Did you get enough to eat?" Wirt asked, walking to the door.

"Yup!" Greg said, following his brother.

"We'll see you later, Beatrice," Wirt said, giving her a quick smile before walking out the door.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry about not updating in a while, guys! Procrastination is something I am very familiar with. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll have the next chapter up later this evening, hopefully **_

Wirt's last cufflink was being sewn on. It was the last step before he and Greg could go to join in on the festivities in the ballroom down the hall. Wirt glanced into the mirror and saw Greg dancing with an invisible partner. They could just barely hear the music from the ball, which had already begun. It was only 7:15, but it seemed like the ball had been going on for hours without them.

"Greg, be super careful with you suit tonight, ok?" Wirt said, hands shaking. He had only ever been to one school dance before. It was horrible. After that, Wirt tended to make up lame excuses to avoid dances.

"Sure, whatever you say," Greg replied.

"There you go. You look wonderful," The Tailor said. He had created almost-matching suits for Wirt and Greg. Both of them wore dark grey pants with tall black boots that went up to the knee, and crisp white button-down shirts with light grey jackets. Their only differences were their hats and their neckties. Greg wore an upside-down teakettle and light green necktie, while Wirt wore a red cone hat and a navy blue necktie.

"Thank you, Mr. Tailor. We really appreciate it!" Wirt said.

"Yes, I know. Now go to the ballroom and enjoy yourselves!" The Tailor said, ushering them out of the room.

"I wonder which way is to the ballroom?" Wirt wondered out loud.

"Just follow the music!" Greg said, rushing off to the direction of the music.

"Wait, Greg!" Wirt called. He started to run after the boy when he saw a sparkle of blue out of the corner of his eye. He stopped running and took a few steps back to see what had caught his eye. A beautiful girl in a light blue dress stood at the top of a staircase that Wirt hadn't seen before. The light blue was an exquisite contrast to the girl's red curly hair.

"Beatrice," Wirt breathed. She smiled at him.

"You're wearing that stupid hat again?" Beatrice teased.

"It's kinda my staple around here," Wirt smirked. They both laughed, and a moment of silence passed between them, both smiling like idiots. They both stared at each other in silence until they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. They both snapped out of their daze and saw the Butler standing nearby, pretending not to see them. Quickly, Wit offered his arm to Beatrice, and she took it.

"So, which way do we go?" Beatrice asked as they began to walk down the hall away from the butler.

"I was j-just about to ask you," Wirt replied. "Greg said to follow the music,"

"Then c'mon!" Beatrice said, pulling Wirt along the hall. They walked for a little while when they came to a room with open double doors. Looking in, they saw that they had found the ball. There were ladies in beautiful ball gowns, and men in polished-looking suits.

"Wow," Wirt mumbled.

"I'm hungry, let's get food," Beatrice said, pointing to some tables piled high with food.

"I think I'd better find Greg and make sure he's not insulting someone important," Wirt said after a moment's thought. Beatrice's face fell.

"Ok, I'll probably still be by the food when you get back," Beatrice said with a halfhearted laugh, but Wirt had already walked into the ballroom. He started looking by where some people were standing and talking, and found Greg right away.

"Greg! Don't run off like that again, please. Um, what are you doing?" Wirt asked as Greg grabbed his arm.

"Dance with me, Wirt!" Greg cried.

"Greg, you know I don't dance. Dance with her," Wirt said, shaking off Greg's grip and gesturing to a young lady beside him.

"Great idea, Wirt!" Greg said, and tapped the lady on the shoulder. "Would you care for this dance?" Greg asked in a silly voice.

"Well, why not?" The lady said with a chuckle. She turned around to hand her cup to one of the butlers who were wandering around the room.

"Greg, if you need me, I'll be by the food with Beatrice," Wirt said.

"Sounds great to me, captain!" Greg said, walking onto the dance floor with the young lady. '_I probably shouldn't have suggested he dance with a random stranger…' _Wirt thought to himself. He looked across the room and saw Beatrice standing by the food, piling a plate high with one of everything. Wirt laughed and walked over to where she was.

"Back so soon? I knew you couldn't resist me," Beatrice joked. Wirt blushed. "Hey, we should dance!" She said.

"Um, no thanks. I don't dance," Wirt said, crossing his arms.

"Everyone dances. If you don't dance, it's considered as rude," Beatrice said, setting down her plate of food, which hadn't been touched.

"Wait, it's considered as rude if I don't dance?" Wirt asked.

"Come on, Wirt. Then we can see how Greg's doing, too! I saw you send him off with that random person," She then grabbed Wirt's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. The orchestra was playing a dreamy waltz. Wirt just stood there like a deer in the headlights until Beatrice put his arms where they were supposed to go: one on her waist, and the other clasping her hand.

"Do you know how to waltz?" Beatrice asked. "Wait, of course you don't,"

"Hey! Don't be mean," Wirt said, snapping out of his daze and back into reality. They began to dance to the slow music. While they were dancing, they passed by Greg, who was still dancing with the same young lady as before. The music ended all too soon.

"Hey, Wirt! Hey, Beatrice! I'm still dancing!" Greg said, just a little too loudly, dancing with the lady even though the music had ended.

"Yes, we can see that. Go get some food for all of us and meet me and your brother in the garden. I need some air," Beatrice said.

"Okie! Sorry, Charlotte. We can dance more later!" Greg said, waddling off to the food.

"Come on, Wirt," Beatrice said, walking back out the double doors they came in through. "You know the way just as well as I do,"


	14. Chapter 14

Beatrice and Wirt walked out the double doors from the ballroom and started down the hall.

"So we're going this way?" Wirt asked.

"Some on you idiot, you know the way," Beatrice replied. "Remember from last time you were here. We walked out those doors and then we were in the garden where Greg threw away our pennies," She explained. Wirt shook his head.

"That was a while ago, Beatrice,"

"Then fine, follow me," She said. They continued to walk down the hall until they were in a large room with two grand stairways leading in. There was a door on the other side of the room.

"Wait, what if Greg doesn't remember?" Wirt said, starting worry. He didn't want to walk all the way back, but he also didn't want Greg to get lost in the huge mansion.

"He remembers," Beatrice replied.

"How do you know? You didn't ask him," Wirt said, giving her a glare. "You know what? I think I'll go back and get him," Wirt started to turn around, but Beatrice grabbed his arm.

"No, Wirt. I mean- well. Just, trust me," Beatrice said, guiding him out of the door and into the freezing cold. It was snowing yet again. "It's a little colder than I thought it would be," She admitted with a shiver.

"Let's go back in and get Greg, then," Wirt said.

"Not yet. We have to talk. Alone," Beatrice said, not making eye contact. Wirt's brain immediately went into the What-If game. '_What if she hates me? What if Greg and I are stuck here forever? What if…'_ Wirt took a deep breath of cold air.

"Uhm, yeah. W-what is it?" Wirt asked, his hands beginning to shake a little bit.

"Well, after you left, I really, really missed you. It was horrible. I was sure you had died. That was… well, that was horrible. And now that you're back, I think I've realized something," She paused and took his hands in her own.

"Your hands are freezing!" Wirt said, grateful for the distraction.

"Don't change the subject! Wirt, look at me," Wirt looked into her eyes, realizing just then how blue they were. "Now that you're back, I realized… I realized I like you. A lot. I mean, I just- I really don't know how to handle this," She laughed. "It feels good to get it out, though," Wirt smiled.

"I'm glad. I mean, I like you, too. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't think about you," Wirt said.

"Really?"Beatrice said, looking up to him.

"Really," Wirt breathed, leaning in and closing the distance between their lips. Beatrice's arms found their way around his neck, and his arms settled around her waist.

"Well, well, well," A deep voice said from behind them. "I see the hero has found his true love," Wirt and Beatrice sprung apart to see a creature of shadow.

"The Beast? That doesn't make any sense," Wirt said to himself, confused.

"I suppose it wouldn't, would it? Allow me to enlighten you. I need souls in order to survive. When you and your brother returned, I could feel the presence of lost souls. I only need one of you in order to remain in existence. Will you come willingly, or will I have to extricate your brother from the ball?" The Beast said, looming over Wirt and Beatrice.

"You can't just take Greg, and you can't just take Wirt! Neither of them will go with you!" Beatrice yelled, forcing herself in between The Beast and Wirt.

"There is no need to yell, little bluebird. It is obvious that you have not learned your lesson. I suppose I should help you with that, shouldn't I?" The Beast said, raising one sickeningly black arm.

"Run!" Wirt yelled, grabbing Beatrice arm and pulling her back into Endicott's mansion. Beatrice almost tripped on her long dress, but Wirt pulled her on each time. They ran down the hall until they reached the ballroom.

"Greg? GREG?" They shouted, searching for the boy.

"Well, hello there, nephew! Are you looking for Gregory?" Endicott said, happening to be standing nearby.

"Uh- yeah. Where is he?" Wirt asked frantically. Beatrice poked her head out into the hall and saw The Beast striding towards the room they were in. She pulled on the heavy wooden doors to shut them.

"Well, it was a little bit strange, I say. Strange indeed it was. He told me that he saw the wall and was going to do as you told him to and climb over it. Does that mean anything to you?" Endicott replied.

"That means everything to me," Wirt breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you hear that, Beatrice? Greg is home,"

"That doesn't help your situation, genius. We need to get you out of here!" Beatrice said, eyes scanning the room for possible exits.

"Beatrice. If Greg is safe, that's all that matters. I can go with The Beast knowing that Greg is safe," Wirt said, feeling a wave of calm pass through him.

"No! I can't let that happen to you!" Beatrice said. The double doors burst open and a hush fell over the room.

"Time is up, young man." The Beast said.

**So, what do you guys think? Please review and tell me what's to like and where I can improve, please! **


	15. Chapter 15

"Is he awake?" Greg heard someone say from far away.

"His BP is stabilizing" A different voice replied, this one nearer. Greg used all of his strength to open his heavy eyelids. He could tell right away that he was in an ambulance.

"Hey, buddy. Can you tell me your name?" One of the paramedics said. He had dark brown hair and light blue eyes.

"Umm…" Greg started. He was about to tell them his name, but where were Wirt and Beatrice? He hadn't brought them food like how they told him to, and he hoped they weren't too mad at him.

"Can you see me?" The paramedic asked.

"Yeah," Greg said, eyebrows knitting together as he worried about his brother and Beatrice.

"Can you tell me your name?" The paramedic asked again, putting a mask of oxygen over Greg's mouth and nose. "That's just to make sure you're breathing like how you're supposed to, alright?"

"I'm Gregory McLaughlin, who're you? Where's Wirt and Beatrice?" Greg replied, trying to sit up.

"Whoa, there. Take it easy," The paramedic said, gently pushing Greg back to lying down. "My name is Toby Logan. Do you remember what happened?"

"Of course I do!" Greg said.

"Tell me what happened, please," Toby said.

"Wirt and I went walking in the woods, and I fell into a lake. Then we went to Beatrice's house and ate breakfast there. Then there was a ball! But the Beast is back," Greg said. He looked at Toby's face and knew immediately that The Unknown was not what he was asking about. "OH! You meant how I got to the Unknown. Let me think about that," Greg closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He remembered that he had an essay to write that he had been telling Wirt all about in the car ride home. _The car ride home!_ _That was it!_

"Wirt was driving and it was really icy out, and we slid in front of a car after the other car got in our way! Is Wirt ok? Where is he? It wasn't his fault, I promise!" Greg said, everything still flooding back.

"Good. I believe you! Just calm down. Don't get too excited, all right, Gregory? Your mom and dad are meeting us at the hospital," Toby said.

"Where's Wirt?" Greg asked again. He turned his head to the side to try and see a little better, and saw his brother lying in a bed, bloodied and battered. Another paramedic was standing over him. Greg's eyes widened.

"Toby, his blood pressure is dropping! Get over here!" The other paramedic said. Toby shuffled over to Wirt as fast as he could and started to pull out different needles of things. '_Wirt would not like that', _Greg thought. Toby pulled out a particularly large needle and stuck it into Wirt's arm. Then Greg could feel the ambulance slowing down. Toby shuffled back to Greg.

"Ok, Buddy. We're at the hospital, and I need you to stay as calm as you can. It can be scary, but you know what you're doing, right?" Toby said.

"Right," Greg replied. The back doors opened, and a team of doctors and nurses were waiting at the door. Two orderlies pulled Wirt's bed out of the ambulance and began to wheel him away, with the nurses and doctors going with him.

"It looks like a broken leg, broken collarbone, some of his ribs are out of place. He probably has a concussion, and be careful for internal bleeding! The steering wheel hit him hard!" One of the nurses with a clipboard said, following after Wirt. Two orderlies pulled Greg's bed out of the ambulance and began to walk him into the hospital. The two paramedics walked with him.

"Is Wirt going to be ok?" Greg asked.

"They'll do everything they can, Buddy. This is my partner, Oz. He's gonna stay with you while I go get your parents, all right?" Toby said as they entered a small room.

"Toby, I've got to stock the ambulance and-" Oz started.

"Just do it," Toby said, walking out of the room. An awkward silence ensued.

"So, how old are you, kid?" Oz asked.

"I'm 7, how old are you?" Greg replied. Oz laughed. He grabbed some antiseptic and cotton balls.

"Compared to you, I'm older than dirt. It might sting while I'm cleaning up your cuts," Oz said as he dabbed at Greg's face.

"Cuts?" Greg asked. He didn't remember getting himself cut.

"The glass from the car went everywhere; you only have a few cuts. You'll be cleaned up in a jiffy," Oz said. Then, the door opened to reveal his parents.

"Mom! Dad!" Greg said, sitting up more than he should have. They rushed over to his bed.

"Greg, are you alright? Do you remember what happened? We're so glad you're ok!" They said, words stumbling out everywhere.

"Is Wirt going to be ok?" Greg asked them, silencing them both. Oz stood up and inched his way out of the room. Greg's parents shared a look of worry. His dad took a deep breath.

"Wirt is in surgery right now. He took the hit really badly," Phil said.

"Oh. But he'll be ok, right?" Greg asked again.

"We don't know yet, Greg." Greg's mom said.

"I'll betcha he's still back in The Unknown. He'll be ok, I think." Greg said. At the mention of The Unknown, his parents shared another worried look.


End file.
